My and Your
"My", "your", "his", "her" and so on are called possessive adjectives. In Italian they change according to whether the noun which follows is masculine or feminine, singular or plural. you usually use "the" or "a" before a possessive adjective:
| masculine | feminine |
|
my il mio libro my book |
my la mia casa my house |
|
your il tuo libro your book |
your la tua casa your house |
|
his/her/its/your il suo libro his book |
his/her/its/your la sua casa her house |
|
our il nostro libro our book |
our la nostra casa our house |
|
your (pl) il vostro libro your book |
your (pl) la vostra casa your house |
| masculine (pl) | feminine (pl) |
|
my i miei guanti my gloves |
my le mie scarpe my shoes |
|
your i tuoi guanti your gloves |
your le tue scarpe your shoes |
|
his/her/its/your i suoi guanti his gloves |
his/her/its/your le sue scarpe her shoes |
|
our i nostri guanti our gloves |
our le nostre scarpe our shoes |
|
your (pl) i vostri guanti your gloves |
your (pl) le vostre scarped your shoes |
|
their i loro guanti their gloves |
their le loro scarpe their shoes |
When you are talking about members of a family, you don't use "the" or "a" in the singular, but you do in the plural:
mai sorella my sister
tuo zio your uncle
le mie sorelle my sisters
i tuoi zii your uncles